to perform the ceremonies, unlike the Midewiwin which required several. This would allow the Waabanowin ceremonies to have existed in the much smaller settlements that the Anishinaabeg lived before contact with Europe. Beliefs The Waabanowin have a basic set of beliefs that anthropologists call 'animist.' In many ways this is correct but in some ways it is not. They do not believe in a multitude of deities in every living thing, There are Manidoog in all living things and these are spirits but not deities. It is the goal of Waabanow to live a life in balance with everything around them and with all of creation. They do not try to do only good and no bad. The elders in the Waabano guide those who come to the lodge. It is not their way to dictate a what a person believes, or does. The Waabanow points the person in the correct direction using the stories and traditions of the lodge. There is no dogma or absolutes. Each person has their own path to walk and their own things to learn because what one person has to learn is different from another, they cannot have absolutes. There is no effort to convert people to the beliefs of the lodge. People will find their way to the traditions or they will not. It is the belief of the lodge is that every person is placed on this earth to learn certain things. Each person has different things to learn. If the individual does not learn his or her individual life purpose lesson, then that individual will come back to this world again; if the individual does learn his or her life purpose lesson, then the individual will move on to the next world and lesson. Ceremonies The lodge has several ceremonies they share in common with the other medicine traditions of the Anishinaabe people. They also have ceremonies that are specific to the Dawn Society. While many would like to know more the actual ceremonies are not written down and traditions of the society prohibit the writing or the ceremonies. For these that want to know more it is recommended that they seek out a Waabanowin and learn from the lodge and elders directly. What follows is a basic overview of the ceremonies. Solstice/equinox ceremonies On the solstice and equinox the lodge performs a set of ceremonies that begin at dusk and